After a late fourth-quarter scare, the McMaster Marauders women's basketball team edged out the Waterloo Warriors by a single point, taking the win on the road 78-77 on Friday night.
 
Rallying after a four-point deficit coming out of halftime down 42-38, the Marauders outscored the home team by a remarkable 23-9 margin in the third quarter.
 
Sarah Gates, Julia Hanaka, and Jenna Button each knocked down a triple to give the visitors a three-point lead four minutes into the frame. Production came all around with seven different Marauders recording baskets, going on a 12-2 run to close out the period.
 
The script flipped drastically in the fourth in favour of the black and gold. Coming off the bench, Waterloo's Beth Howlett dropped nine of her 17 points in the final frame, surging a comeback for the home team, tying the score at 72-72 with a pair of free-throws.
 
The two sides exchanged baskets towards the dying minutes of the game.
 
Warriors second-year guard Vanessa Hughes knocked down a jumper to give the home team a 77-76 lead with 0.07 seconds left on the clock.
 
Coming out of a McMaster timeout, Mia Spadafora found a cutting Sarah Gates who lobbed a bank shot off the glass, leading to two gut-wrenching bounces on the rim before falling into the basket.
 
With no timeouts left, the Warriors were forced to make a hasty inbound pass that led to an Olivia Wilson steal, ultimately ensuring the victory.
 
Christina Buttenham led all scorers with 23 points, while Wilson picked up a double-double with 19 points and 11 boards.
 
The Marauders win their sixth straight game, and are now 13-7 on the season, sitting in third place in the OUA Central division.
 
NEXT UP: The Marauders close out their regular season with a pair of road games in the nation's capital, beginning with the Carleton Ravens on Friday at 6pm.